She Brings Me the Music
by seaunicorn
Summary: Cosima Niehaus is the rebellious older sister of a child violin prodigy who's tired of being forgotten. When she meets a young pianist named Delphine, who's never broken a rule in her life, she gets a taste of Cosima's world and realizes she likes it.
1. Chapter 1

Cosima was an unconscious, hungover heap in her bed when her mother barged into her bedroom late in the afternoon.

"Honey, have you been in bed all day?" she asked, lips creasing into a frown.

Cosima groaned and peeked out from under the blankets, squinting with one eye open. "What?"

"It's 3 o'clock, we have to leave for your brother's recital in an hour!" Cosima groaned again, trying to form words. "Cosima I can't understand you when you do that."

Cosima sighed and took the pillow off her head. "That's today?"

"Yes! We've been talking about this for months! You were so excited about it!"

"No, no, I am excited, I just…forgot." Cosima threw off her blankets and stumbled out of bed, scrunching her face when a splitting pain shot through her head.

"Okay, just be ready in an hour!"

"Got it!" Cosima called after her mom as she left and shut the door behind her. "Shit." She rummaged through her desk drawers, looking for that bottle of Advil she kept for occasions such as this. _What even happened last night?_ she thought. She remembered… arriving at the party with Sarah and Felix. She remembered dancing with that hot guy after her third drink (although, thinking about it now, she can't even remember what he looked like). She remembered having a joint with Felix. Then she started to lose track of things around the seventh drink or so.

Cosima checked her phone and according to her last text message from Sarah ("_just made it home. i nominate anyone else to be DD next week_") she had probably been dropped off a little before 4 in the morning. That would explain sleeping in so late. Cosima popped two painkillers in her mouth and swallowed, hoping that would help ease the splitting headache she had.

For the second time since she had woken up, someone barged into her room. This time, it was her 12 year old brother, Dylan, dressed up in a little suit and tie, obviously ready for the recital earlier than anyone else.

"Cos, what are you doing? You're not even dressed yet!"

"I know, I know! Sorry, I slept in," Cosima apologized, waving her hands around as she spoke. "But don't worry, I will be ready on time!"

Dylan frowned at her for a moment, then said, "Fine. But make sure you shower first. You smell!" His face broke into a grin before he darted out of the room.

"Brat!" she shouted after him.

Nonetheless, Cosima lifted her arm and took a sniff. _Ugh, maybe the kid was right for once._

An hour later, Cosima was freshly showered, in one of the two "nice" dresses that she owned (most of her dresses were far too provocative for events like this), and her headache had died down ever so slightly. She made sure to eat a few slices of cold pizza before finishing her make up.

Her family piled into the car, with her dad behind the wheel, and her brother's violin case got its own seat in between the two of them. "You ready, kid?" her dad asked Dylan. Dylan nodded excitedly.

"You're gonna do great!" Cosima said, as the car moved out of the driveway and down the street.

When they arrived at the auditorium, it was still over an hour before the show. Dylan had to get there early because he was performing. "Cosima, honey, why don't you save us some seats while we take your brother backstage?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Cosima said. She pulled out her phone and her earbuds to listen to music to kill time. The auditorium was empty because it was still so early, so she snagged a few seats in the front row; her parents would be pleased.

Cosima lost track of time, but eventually her parents appeared, taking their seats and snacking on pastries. "Where did you get those?" Cosima asked.

"Backstage," her mother said between bites. "They've got a table set up with food for all the performers and families."

Cosima stared at them, hoping they would offer her something, but they didn't. "Well, _I'm_ family! You didn't think to get me anything?"

"Sorry honey," her father said. "Why don't you go back and get something and see your brother really quick before the show?"

Cosima huffed, but still stood up and made her way backstage. The back room was filled with a ton of kids, well, maybe they all weren't kids, but everyone was under eighteen. This was a recital for "young talent", so basically it was a showcase of child prodigies, like her brother. Her family had discovered Dylan's musical talent when he was eight years old when he picked up their aunt's violin and started playing. He wasn't good, by any means, but he was only eight and had never had a lesson. Their aunt had seen the potential and insisted on paying for his lessons. He learned fast, and he was something their entire family was proud of, showing up at all his recitals, giving him gifts, throwing him parties. But because of that, no one really paid much attention to Cosima. There was the child prodigy that everyone adored, and other kid who did nothing significant. Sure, she was a straight A student, but that didn't matter when her brother has been on tv. She was… forgettable. Cosima had gotten used to it, though, and she enjoyed the perks of having a prodigy for a brother, like her parents not caring where she went at night, and especially the free food at events like this.

Cosima looked around for the food table and spotted it across the room. Standing in front of the food was a girl that looked just about Cosima's age, sixteen, and _damn_, was she gorgeous. Her blonde hair fell in lavish curls around her shoulders and her perfect posture made her at least a head taller than Cosima, but slightly less while Cosima was in her heels. Cosima headed across the room, not taking her eyes off the girl.

She grabbed one of the pastries and smiled, but before she could take a bite, and before Cosima could get there and talk this girl up, a middle aged woman, assumingly her mother, took the pastry from her hands, silently scolded her, and led her away from the table. Cosima frowned.

Cosima arrived at the food table and before her thoughts could linger on the girl for too long, arms encircled her waist from behind, and a voice yelled, "Cos!"

"Hey, kid! Get off!" she said, laughing and trying to push her little brother away.

"You just came back here for the food, didn't you?" Dylan asked.

Cosima's eyes widened and she gave the most overdramatic gasp she could muster. "What? Are you crazy? The _only_ reason I'm back here is to support my little brother." As she said this, she snuck a pastry off the table and hid it behind her back.

"Oh yeah? Then what's that behind your back?"

"I dunno what you're talking about."

"You literally just grabbed a pastry and put it behind your back."

Caught, Cosima slowly revealed her hands and the pastry in one of them. "How the hell did that get there?!" she questioned.

Dylan just rolled his eyes. "Idiot," he said, and swiped the pastry from her hands. He took a bite and ran off before she could catch him.

"Brat!"

Cosima heard someone giggle from a few feet away. She looked up, and there was mystery girl, watching that interaction between Cosima and her brother. Cosima felt the color rush to her cheeks, but she smiled and waved at the other girl. Before she could bring herself to talk to her, the same woman from before dragged the girl off to another room. Cosima huffed while grabbing a new pastry for herself and she headed out of the room to rejoin her parents in the audience.

Cosima got back to her seat just in time because as soon as she sat down, the lights dimmed, and a booming voice welcomed them to the event and announced the first performer. Some scrawny-ass kid with glasses came out with a cello that was probably bigger than him and he began to play. Cosima yawned. As much as she loved her brother, she hated the classical music the kids always played at these recitals. She needed something with synthetic beats that her body could move to, or smooth lyrics that she could pay attention to. This classical shit always blended together and she could hardly tell one note from the next—not that she was musically knowledgeable in any way at all, but still. She found it hard to keep her eyes open, and by the third performer, she was falling asleep on her dad's shoulder.

A strong finger poked her in the side and Cosima jerked her head up. "I know you don't like these concerts much, but at least try to stay awake," her father said.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry," she said. "Won't happen again."

The current performer finished his song and while the audience applauded, the next girl was announced, and she came out with a saxophone. She started her song and it was a little more jazzy, which helped keep Cosima awake.

"How long until Dylan performs?" she whispered.

Her dad flipped through the program until he found the order of performances. "He's fifth to last, so more toward the end," he replied.

Cosima stifled a groan and turned her head back to the stage.

It seemed like an eternity, but ten performances later and after Cosima had dozed off at least two more times, the announcer said the name she had been waiting for. "Up next…Dylan Niehaus." Her parents cheered enthusiastically, and Cosima joined them. She was happy for her brother, after all.

Dylan came on and he looked so small compared to the vast stage surrounding him, but as soon as he started playing, he made up for that. That kid's skills with a violin could put… some famous violinist to shame… Cosima didn't actually know the names of any famous violinists. And after listening to him practice his performance for months, not so much struggling, but definitely improving each time, she was proud of her brother, finally getting to perform the finished product on this stage in front of hundreds of people.

When he finished, Cosima stood up with her parents, and she clapped and she whistled, and Dylan beamed at them, obviously thrilled from an excellent performance. The announcer saying the next performer was her cue to sit down.

"And now we have Delphine Cormier."

After Cosima took her seat, she glanced back up at the stage, and her breath was taken away when she saw mystery girl from earlier stroll into the spotlight. _Delphine_. She carried no instrument and instead walked up to the piano that was set up onstage. _Of course she's a pianist_, Cosima thought.

Cosima's heart thrummed faster in anticipation as she waited for Delphine to start playing, and when she did, wow. Cosima was breathless for the second time since she walked onstage. This girl was _good_. Her eyes were closed like she was feeling the music and her fingers moved nimbly across the keys. Despite the fact that she played that same classical music that Cosima usually hates, she found herself captivated the entire time.

Delphine's performance was over far too soon for Cosima's liking, and as she walked off the stage, Cosima found herself standing up and muttering to her parents, "I'm gonna go hang with Dylan the rest of the show, if that's cool."

Her parents nodded. "Thanks for sticking through so much of if," her dad said, but she didn't hear him. Cosima was already walking down the aisle heading for the backstage room.

When she arrived, her brother was nowhere to be found, probably in the bathroom, but neither was that woman that kept intercepting Cosima when she wanted to talk to Delphine, thank god. She had just gotten back into the room and grabbed a bottle of water to drink. No one was around her so Cosima took her chance and headed straight across the room to talk to her.

"Hey!" she said, startling the other girl, who almost spilled her water. "Whoa, sorry! I just wanted to tell you, you were really good out there."

Delphine's mouth opened ever so slightly in shock as she formed a reply. "Oh, um, thank you."

_And she's French_, Cosima thought. _Shit_.

"Yeah, totes," she said. "I'm Cosima, by the way. Cosima Niehaus." She held out her hand and Delphine shook it.

"Delphine Cormier," she replied. "Enchantée."

Cosima grinned. "Enchantée," she said, not caring if her accent sounded stupid.

"Niehaus, you said?" Delphine asked. "That is the name of one of the other performers."

"Yeah! My little brother, Dylan," she said. "Violinist extraordinaire."

Delphine nodded. "Yes, he was very good! I enjoyed his performance very much."

"So, do you live around here?" Cosima asked. "Usually we'll see the same kids at least every few recitals, but I've never seen you before. And you're like, really good."

Delphine smiled and her cheeks tinged red ever so slightly. "Yes, although not for very long. My family moves around a lot. We go wherever the opportunities are. We have only been in San Francisco a few months. Although my father says it seems promising here so we might stay for a while."

"Cool! So are you enrolled in school yet?"

Delphine shook her head. "No, I am homeschooled. It allows more time for me to practice piano."

"Wait, wait, wait, you're homeschooled _and_ you're new in town? How are you supposed to meet people? Ya know, like, friends?"

"I do not have time for friends," Delphine said, and Cosima felt her heart break a little. "My parents say relationships are trivial, especially when I need to be practicing. And since I move around so much it can be hard to keep any friends I do make."

"Well, that's bullshit, so I'm gonna be your friend now, mmkay?" Cosima said. Delphine giggled and Cosima made sure to commit the sound to memory. "For real, though, you're young! Let's hang out. I'll show you the places with the best food and we can go to a party and I can introduce you to some of my friends. Have fun for once!"

Delphine smiled, and opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, another voice intercepted. "Delphine, darling, what are you doing?"

It was the same woman from before. She wore a fancy dress and spoke with a snooty attitude to match.

"Oh, maman, I was just talking to Cosima. She has a brother who also performed tonight. She is very nice."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Cormier," Cosima said, trying to sound as charming as possible. She offered her hand for a shake, but Delphine's mom ignored it and simply looked her up and down.

"Yes, thank you," she replied. "Delphine, sweetheart, are you ready to leave?"

"The recital is not even over yet," Delphine said. "Besides, I am talking to Cosima."

"Well your father needs to get home. He has some work to do. And you need to be practicing for your next performance, dear!"

"We don't even have anything scheduled yet, maman," Delphine said. Cosima could hear the frustration in her voice.

"You can never have too much practice," she said, with a tone of arrogance in her voice.

Cosima was about to butt in, but was saved from embarrassment when her parents and brother joined the conversation.

"You ready to go, hon?" her father asked.

"Uhh," Cosima started. She wanted to keep talking to Delphine, but if both of their parents wanted them to leave she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this conversation going, but she was going to try. "Mom, dad, this is Delphine. She was the pianist that went after Dylan."

"Oh, Delphine!" her mother said. "You were wonderful!"

"Very good," her father added. "You have a talent."

"Thank you," Delphine said, smiling politely.

"Anyway, Delphine was just telling me that she's new in town and she's home schooled, so I thought I could show her around a little and introduce her to some people. If you'd like, Delphine?"

"Oui, yes! It sounds like fun!" Delphine nodded her head excitedly and glanced at her mother, who frowned.

"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea, Delphine," Mrs. Cormier said.

"_Please_, maman?" Delphine asked.

"You know," Cosima's mother interjected. "You probably won't find a better tour guide than Cosima. She spends so much time out exploring, she probably knows this city better than our house!"

"Yeah," her father continued. "And it'll be good for Delphine to make some friends while she's here."

All eyes were on Mrs. Cormier and she was backed into a corner. "Alright, I suppose it should be fine," she sighed.

_Thank you, mother_, Cosima thought. _Thank you, father. Thank you thank you thank you_.

"How's Friday?" Cosima asked with a grin.

"Friday is perfect," Delphine said.

"Delphine, you have practice until 6 on Friday."

"Then I'll come by at 7," Cosima said. "We can get dinner. It'll be great. Can I get your number?"

Mrs. Cormier realized she couldn't argue anymore, so she simply said, "Your father and I will be in the car," and briskly walked out of the room.

"Yeah, we'll meet you in the car Cosima," her father said, and Cosima's family left the room.

They stood in silence for a moment as their families left. As soon as they were gone, Delphine spoke up. "I am sorry about my mother," she said.

"Nahh, don't worry about it," Cosima reassured. "I've dealt with worse parents, believe me. My ex-girlfriend's family absolutely hated me and I'm still not sure why!"

"I can't imagine," Delphine said, with her lips quirked up into the smallest smile, "you are quite charming."

"Hey, I try." Cosima flashed a grin and Delphine giggled again. "So, phone number? Don't wanna keep them waiting too long."

"Oh, yes! I do not have my phone with me, but I can write it down for you?" Delphine said. She grabbed a napkin from the snack table and found a pen, elegantly tracing the numbers onto it and handing it to Cosima.

"Cool, I'll text you!" Delphine nodded and smiled. "Shall we?" Cosima asked, gesturing to the door.

They walked out to the parking lot together and turned to each other before going their separate ways.

"I will see you Friday?" Delphine asked.

"Yeah, totes."

Delphine giggled again. "Au revoir, Cosima," she said, waving as she headed to her car. Cosima grinned as she watched Delphine walk away. Who'd have thought she would end the night with a hot French girl's phone number? _Best concert ever_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note**: Thanks so much for reading and thank you for all your feedback! I really appreciate everything you all say. I'm really enjoying writing this story, so I'm glad some people are enjoying it too! :)

* * *

"I thought you came to support me, but you were just flirting with that girl the whole time!"

"What?!" Cosima gasped. "I was not _flirting_, I was merely being friendly."

"Looked like flirting to me," Dylan said.

"Well you're twelve, how would you even know what flirting looks like?"

"I just do."

"Oh, _you just do_? Whatever, kid."

"Stop calling me kid!"

"Okay, brat."

"Cosima!"

"Kids, stop fighting," their mother finally intervened. "Whether you were flirting or not is none of our business. Delphine seems nice."

"Thank you, mother!" Cosima said.

"And she's very pretty," her father interjected.

"Ugh, dad!"

"But like your mom said, none of our business."

"Thanks."

Cosima spent the rest of the night wondering how long she should wait before texting Delphine.

She didn't text her until the next day.

Cosima had added Delphine to her contacts and spent most of her day at school staring at her phone with a blank message to Delphine open. She didn't notice Felix come up behind her until he had swiped the phone from her hands and looked at the screen.

"Ooh, who's Delphine?" he asked mockingly.

"Felix, give it back!" Cosima said, lunging for her phone, but Felix darted out of the way.

"Not until you tell me who Delphine is."

"Who's Delphine?" Alison asked as she walked up, closely followed by her other friends, Sarah and Scott.

"That's what I'm trying to find out!"

"Keeping secrets now, are we Niehaus?" Sarah called.

"Guys, shut up!" Cosima yelled. "I'll tell you, just give me back my phone!"

Felix frowned and stopped waving the phone around. "You're no fun," he said.

That gave Scott the opportunity to take the phone and give it to Cosima. "Here you go."

"Thank you, Scott," she said. "Okay. Delphine is just someone I met at my brother's concert last night. No big deal."

"No big deal? You looked like you were gonna cry when Fee took your phone!" Sarah said.

"Thanks, I really appreciate that," Cosima said. "Seriously, that's it. She's new in town and doesn't know anybody so I thought I'd show her around."

"Show her around or get in her pants?" Felix asked.

"Felix, why are you always so vulgar?" Alison asked. "I think that's a very nice thing for you to do, Cosima."

"But if that's it, why were you staring at your phone with a blank message to her open?" Felix asked. "Just say something for god's sake!"

"I will! In good time."

"Or now? Seriously if you don't text her right now I will take your phone and do it myself, and trust me, you don't want that."

"Okay, okay! Yeesh, when did you get so mean?" Cosima glared at him as she pulled up the message on her phone again. She was about to type, but felt four pairs of eyes on her. "Guys, this would be much easier if you weren't watching my every move." They all quickly averted their gazes, pretending like they hadn't been watching, and Cosima was able to type out a quick message in peace.

_Hey Delphine! It's Cosima. I just thought I'd text you so you could, like, have my number too_

There. Short, simple, introductory. It was fine. She hit send.

"There, are you happy?"

"Very much so."

Later that night, she received a text in response.

_Bonsoir Cosima! I am looking forward to Friday! :)_

The week seemed to drag on, with Cosima's friends poking fun every chance they got. But with each passing day she was another day closer to seeing Delphine again.

Finally, school ended on Friday afternoon and Cosima was almost shaking with excitement. She texted Delphine, making sure they were still on and asking for her address. Cosima couldn't keep the grin off her face when Delphine responded.

"Calm down, loser, I thought you were just showing her around," Felix said.

"I am! Shut up."

"Whatever. Have fun on your date!"

"It is not a date!" she called after him as he rushed off to the opposite end of the parking lot. "It's not a date," she said again, this time more to herself than anything else.

It wasn't a date. It was just two new friends who were hanging out. That's it. Nothing to be worried about, and nothing to get your hopes up about. Not a date.

Cosima got ready way too early and was left counting down the seconds until it would be appropriate to leave and arrive at Delphine's house at 7.

Cosima tugged at her red coat nervously as she walked up to Delphine's front door and knocked twice. Delphine answered the door and Cosima once again had her breath taken away by the way her curled locks perfectly framed her face and the elegant smile that graced her lips.

"Cosima is here!" Delphine called through the door. "I will be back later!" She quickly darted outside and closed the door behind her before her parents could stop her.

"Bonsoir, Cosima!" she said excitedly.

"Hey!" Cosima grinned. "You look great."

"Thank you, so do you."

"Um, anyway, my car is over here." Cosima pointed at the red truck parked at the curb and Delphine smiled.

"That is a nice car," she said.

Cosima laughed. "Not really, it's a piece of shit."

"Well, it, euh….it fits you."

"Thanks," Cosima said, and held open the passenger door for her.

Despite the traffic, they made it to Cosima's favorite pizza place fairly quickly. Parking was a bitch but Cosima was used to it. They got a table by a window overlooking San Francisco Bay and it was kind of romantic. Cosima quickly shook the thought out of her head. _Not a date_.

"So they serve pizza here?" Delphine asked.

"Yeah," Cosima nodded. "Oh shit, you're allowed to eat pizza, right?" Delphine looked at her questioningly. "Because, ya know, a lot of people who train for things, like athletes and stuff are on like, special diets and shit so they can't eat pizza or whatever so that would really suck if I took you here and you can't eat pizza because you're—"

"Cosima," Delphine cut her off, giggling. "I am a pianist, not an athlete. I can eat pizza." She smiled.

"Okay," Cosima said. "Good."

They ordered a pizza that was half pepperoni and half vegetarian ("You're not vegetarian, are you? Because that might be a deal breaker on our friendship." "Non, I just really like olives and mushrooms.") and split it. They couldn't finish the whole thing and there were three slices left, so Cosima took those in a box to go.

They got back in the car with full stomachs and parking fees validated.

"That was very good, Cosima," Delphine said. "Where to now?"

Cosima smirked at her. "You ever been to a party, Delphine?"

Turns out, Delphine had not been to a party before. At least, not the kind of party that Cosima was talking about. The kind of party with pounding music and alcohol and dancing, sweating, horny teenagers. No, Delphine had never been to a party like this before.

She followed Cosima into the house very closely, gripping tightly to her back as to not get lost or separated. She followed Cosima to a room where they both shed their coats, to reveal the very tight, very short black dress that Cosima had been wearing underneath. Delphine swallowed. She suddenly felt so underdressed in her loose skirt and blouse, but Cosima didn't seem to mind. She grabbed Delphine's hand and led her back out into the party.

They weren't even out there for a minute, when a voice called Cosima's name.

"Cos! You made it!" Sarah stumbled over with two red cups in her hands.

"Sarah!" Cosima said. "Where's Fee?"

"Couldn't make it tonight. He's grounded."

"Damn, that blows." Sarah nodded and emptied one of the cups into her mouth and let out a loud burp. "I'm guessing you're not driving tonight?"

"Nah, I got Alison for that."

"How the fuck did you convince Alison to come to this?"

"I technically didn't. She's sittin' in her car reading right now. Whatever, bloody loser." Sarah did a double take as she glanced at Delphine, as if noticing her for the first time. "Oh, hello." Delphine smiled shyly.

"Delphine, this is Sarah," Cosima said. "Sarah, Delphine."

"Ohhhh, _you're _Delphine!" Sarah said. "Nice to meet you."

"It is good to meet you too," Delphine said, a little confused.

"Drink?" Sarah asked, offering Delphine her other cup.

Delphine shook her head. "No thank you, I don't drink."

"The fuck do ya mean you don't drink?! Everyone drinks! Here just take it." Sarah tried to force the drink into Delphine's hands.

"And that's our cue to leave," Cosima said, grabbing Delphine's hand again and leading her away from Sarah. "Sorry about that. She's much more fun sober. Sarah's kind of an… aggressive drunk."

"It's alright."

"Are you sure you don't want a drink? It's usually what makes these parties fun."

"No thank you," Delphine said. "If my parents found out they would be furious."

"Are your parents here right now?" Cosima asked.

"No."

"Well are you planning on telling them? Because I'm not planning on telling them, so the only way they'd find out is if you told them."

"No," Delphine said. "I just… I do not want to drink tonight if that's alright."

"Oh, no no no, it's totally fine!" Cosima said. "I wasn't trying to pressure you into drinking or anything. I just thought that it might be easier to have fun if you were a little more relaxed."

"You don't think I can have fun?" Delphine asked, mock offended.

"That's not what I said!" Cosima defended.

"I can have fun without alcohol, watch! Come, let's dance." This time it was Delphine who grabbed Cosima's hand and pulled her over to the room where people were dancing.

Delphine twirled out of Cosima's hand and began to dance. If you could call it that. She moved clumsily and awkwardly; her hips were stiff and her arms flailed without inhibitions.

Cosima tried so hard not to laugh. She really did. But she failed.

"What is funny?" Delphine asked, offended.

"Nothing! I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Cosima said. "Just… maybe you should stick to playing piano."

"Are you saying I can't dance?"

"Not saying, just… implying." Delphine frowned and she was so cute Cosima wanted to kiss the pout right off her lips. She shook the thought out of her head and continued. "It's just… people dance differently at these parties."

"Well? How should I dance?" Delphine asked.

Cosima opened her mouth, trying to explain, and closed it again. It was easier to show than to tell, so that's what she would do. "Come here," Cosima said. Delphine took a step closer and Cosima turned around so her back was facing Delphine, and she began to dance.

Delphine watched her dance with a curious gaze. The way this girl moved was incredible. Her hips swayed sensually to the beats of the song and her arms moved—no, not moved—flowed through the air slowly and with purpose, her hands and fingers tracing invisible shapes in front of her. With every beat she backed closer into Delphine's space and suddenly Delphine was pressed against Cosima's back, moving with her, hands on her hips, and Cosima was guiding her, and as Delphine moved her own hips into Cosima's she realized she's never felt so _alive_.

The phone in Delphine's pocket vibrated. She jumped back, away from Cosima, and reached for her phone, checking the caller ID. It was her mother. "Merde," she whispered.

"What's wrong?" Cosima asked.

"It's my mother!"

"Oh, shit! Do you need to go outside?"

Delphine nodded. "I will be back," she said, and made her way to the front door.

Standing in the front lawn of this house, the music was slightly muffled, and Delphine hoped it wasn't loud enough to hear through the phone. She answered on the last ring. "Allô?"

"Delphine, where are you?!"

"What do you mean, maman?"

"It's half past 10, you were supposed to be home thirty minutes ago!"

Delphine glanced at her watch, proving this to be correct. "I am sorry, maman. I lost track of the time. I will be home soon."

"Delphine, if this Cosima girl is a bad influence—"

"She's not! It was my fault, I'm sorry. I will be home soon, maman. Goodbye."

She hung up before her mother could say anything else.

Delphine went back inside and quickly found Cosima. "We have to go," she said. Cosima nodded and quickly followed her out.

"Did they hear the party?" Cosima asked. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought you here, now you might get in trouble."

"No, no, it is not the party," Delphine said. "I was supposed to be home thirty minutes ago. It's my fault, I did not tell you my curfew."

"Oh, shit! I'm sorry! I'll get you home quick, I promise."

"Don't apologize, Cosima. As I just said, this is my fault. You have nothing to worry about."

Cosima drove Delphine home in silence, trying not to think about the dance they shared nor the resulting ache between her legs that she would have to take care of once she got home.

Cosima pulled up in front of Delphine's house and shut off the car. Delphine made no move to leave, so Cosima spoke up. "Hey, I'm really sorry, again. For making you late. Next time we can just, like, go see a movie or something. Much safer than a party."

"No!" Delphine said, a little too quickly. "I mean, I would like to go again, if that is alright with you?"

"Um, I mean, yeah, totally," Cosima said. "But they usually go kinda late and I don't want you getting in trouble with your parents."

"Well, my parents usually go to bed early. The things that they do not know won't hurt them."

"Delphine," Cosima mock gasped. "Are you saying you want to sneak out to party with me?"

Delphine smiled. "I am."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note:** _Thanks so much for all the positive feedback on this fic! I'm glad you guys are enjoying it, and please, continue to let me know what you think! :)_

* * *

Delphine went to face her parents with the promise of seeing Cosima again next Friday night at 11. There was scolding and shouting and tears, but eventually Delphine made it up to her bedroom and was able to defer some of the guilt away from Cosima.

As soon as she got to her room, she pulled out her phone and called Cosima, like she had promised.

"Hello?" the other girl answered.

"Cosima," Delphine said. "It's me."

"I know. So you survived?"

"Oui, I did. And I think I was able to salvage your reputation with my parents, so they might let me see you again."

"I thought you wanted to sneak out next time?" Cosima asked.

"Yes, but next Friday seems so far away," Delphine whined. "Can't I see you before then?"

Cosima grinned. "Well, I never have plans during the week, so as long as it's not during school, I'm there. Not that I actually care about skipping school, but—"

"Would you like to come over for dinner on Wednesday?" Delphine asked.

"What? I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Cosima said. "Your parents don't really like me, remember?"

"That is exactly the point. If you come over for dinner, they will have to like you more!"

Cosima thought about it for a moment before she let out a long sigh and agreed. "Fine, but if this doesn't work out, it's _your _fault!"

"Alright, alright! Whatever you say!"

"Okay, well, I should probably get off the phone now because I am still driving."

"_Cosima!_"

"'Night, Delphine!"

"Cosima get off the phone! Bonsoir."

Delphine hung up before Cosima could say anything else and get herself killed.

Now she just had to propose the idea of having Cosima over for dinner to her parents. Delphine yawned. But that could wait until tomorrow.

Delphine's weekends were always taken up with practices and lessons, that she hardly had time to eat or think for herself, let alone bring up the idea of Cosima having dinner with them.

It was getting late in the afternoon on Monday and Delphine hadn't had lunch yet. She messed up some of the chords that she was playing and groaned, resting her head on the piano keys. "Maman, can I please take a break? I'm hungry, and tired."

Her mother shook her head. "Not until you get through the song without messing up."

"I'm not even practicing for anything! I have no recitals or concerts coming up! Why can't I just take a break?"

"That's exactly why you can't take a break," she said. "You need to practice so as soon as we can schedule something, you will be ready."

"Maman, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but no one is snapping at the opportunity to schedule me. At least, not like they used to. I was a _child_ prodigy, maman. I'm not a child anymore. Maybe my skills have not grown with me?"

"That's not true, Delphine! You are so talented!" her mother said. "Do you remember what that girl's family said at the recital? They said you were very good! _Talented_!"

"They were just being polite, maman."

"No, no, what they said is true!" Delphine's mother sat down next to her on the piano bench and put an arm around her daughter. "You _are_ still talented, Delphine, and maybe it's stopped showing because you've stopped believing that."

Delphine was caught off guard by her mother's sudden display of affection. "Thank you."

"And I wasn't going to tell you until it was set in stone, but your father is working on getting you into this very prestigious showcase as we speak."

"He is?" Delphine asked. "Is it the Duncan Young Performers' Showcase?"

Her mother nodded. "That's the one. And you know what kind of talent they have there. So we want you to be perfect when you perform for them."

Delphine nodded. The Duncan Young Performers' Showcase was a renowned event to showcase young talent, from aspiring Broadway stars to dancers to pianists, like herself. This would be a huge opportunity, and, like her mother said, she would have to be perfect.

"But, I suppose that's enough for one day. Come on, I'll make you a sandwich."

Delphine nodded and followed her mother from her rehearsal room to the kitchen. She sat at one of the chairs on the island, facing her mother when she got out the bread and other amenities for a sandwich. Neither of them said anything for a moment, and her mother was in a good mood. Delphine knew it was unlikely she would get another opportunity like this, so she spoke up.

"Maman, there was something I wanted to ask you."

"What is it dear?" she said, slicing strips from a block of cheddar cheese.

"I was wondering, would it be alright if Cosima came over for dinner on Wednesday?"

The knife clattered to the ground as it slipped from her mother's hand. She quickly picked it up and placed it in the sink. "Quoi?"

"I would like to invite Cosima to have dinner with us on Wednesday," Delphine said, leaving out the fact that she had already invited the girl.

"You would like to have someone over for dinner?"

"Yes, I would like my _friend_ to come over for dinner," she said, emphasizing the word _friend_. "She is very nice and I think if you spent some time with her you would warm up to her."

"I don't think that's a good idea—"

"If you're worried about her interfering with my schedule, I don't think that will be a problem. Her brother is like me, so she grew up in the same environment and understands how important practices are. And she was very apologetic about me being home late the other day. She would like to make a better impression. I only ask that you give her the chance. Please, maman?" Delphine gave her best pout as she met her mother's eyes, holding her gaze until she could see the resistance begin to break down.

"If you really think it's what's best, then fine."

"Really?" Delphine asked. "Oh, thank you!" She ran around the counter and hugged her mother, kissing her on the cheek. "I will go invite her right now!" She grabbed the just finished sandwich from her mother and ran up to her bedroom.

The next few days passed very slowly; Delphine was drowning in practices and schoolwork, especially because her parents wanted her to test out of high school early so she could focus on piano. She barely had the time to text Cosima and tell her what time to come over on Wednesday.

But the days passed and at 6:30 sharp, there was a knock on the door of the Cormier household. "I will get it!" Delphine called, and ran to let Cosima inside.

Delphine opened the front door and Cosima stood there, looking slightly uncomfortable in a nice skirt and sweater, and holding a bouquet of flowers. Delphine grinned. "Flowers?" she asked.

Cosima shrugged. "My mom said it would be a nice gesture to bring something to dinner, and since I'm too young to get wine, flowers were my next best option."

"I'm sure my mother will love them."

"That's what I was hoping. I'm just gonna ass-kiss my way through the evening and by the end of the night, your parents will love me!" Cosima flashed her signature grin and Delphine giggled again.

"Come in, come in."

Delphine led Cosima to the dining room where her parents were waiting.

"Mrs. Cormier, good to see you again," Cosima said. Mrs. Cormier simply nodded. Cosima held out her hand to Delphine's father. "And Mr. Cormier, I don't believe we've met. I'm Cosima Niehaus."

Delphine's father shook her hand and replied, "It's good to meet you Cosima. It's nice that Delphine was able to make a friend here."

"Yeah, Delphine's great," Cosima said. She held out the bouquet. "I brought flowers for you guys."

Mrs. Cormier looked at them disdainfully until her husband took them from Cosima's hands. "Thank you, Cosima, they're lovely. Delphine, would you get a vase?"

Delphine muttered a quick, "Oui," and disappeared into the kitchen. A moment later she reappeared with a vase and water, which she put the flowers in and set on the table.

Mr. Cormier rubbed his hands together. "Shall we eat?"

Dinner was, for the most part, uneventful. Cosima asked Delphine's parents respectful questions and answered all questions politely and sent them both (but especially Mrs. Cormier) compliments anytime an opportunity presented itself. Basically, she kissed a lot of ass. Delphine had to suppress giggles a few times when it was so obvious to her that Cosima was smothering on the charm and gratitude. She ate not too fast but not too slow, had her napkin on her lap, and complimented every dish that was served. Cosima was, in every way, the perfect dinner guest.

That is, until they brought out desert.

On Cosima's plate was a delicious looking crepe topped with fruit and ice cream. Delphine's mother was rambling about Delphine's talent and her career, and that's when Cosima saw it.

A spider crawled up the stems of one of the flowers in the vase that Cosima had brought. Her eyes grew wide. "Shit," she muttered under her breath.

Thankfully, only Delphine heard her curse. She looked at Cosima questioningly as her mother continued to speak.

"…her first recital when she was only four years old. Four! That's one of the youngest in history! And after that, she kept getting scheduled for performances left and right…"

Cosima didn't want to point, so she met Delphine's gaze, and then looked pointedly at the vase, where the spider was now crawling down onto the table. Delphine gulped. "Merde."

Mrs. Cormier continued to speak as she started to cut a piece off of her crepe. Unfortunately, her plate was exactly where the spider was heading. The spider somehow managed to get directly on the piece that she cut as soon as she lifted the fork. She was mid-sentence so thankfully the food and spider did not go directly into her mouth.

"…moved here to the US when Delphine was twelve because there just seemed to be more opportunities for her here—"

"Euh, maman?" Delphine interrupted.

"Just a moment, chérie," she said, and continued, gradually moving the fork, and the spider, closer to her mouth. "We started off in New York because the opportunities there were the most promising, but various circumstances gradually led us across the country to—"

"Maman!"

Mrs. Cormier froze, fork inches from her mouth. "What is it?" Delphine nervously glanced at the fork in her hand, and her mother followed her gaze and found herself face to face with a spider.

A loud shriek echoed through the dining room as she dropped her fork, startling Mr. Cormier so much he fell out of his chair. Delphine gasped. Her mother started shouting in French and backed away from where her fork landed very quickly. As Delphine's father tried to get up from the floor, he banged his head on the table.

"ARAIGNÉE! TUER! LAURENT, TUER!"

Cosima did not know what to do so she simply watched the scene before her stunned, mouth agape, until she felt a tug on her arm as Delphine led her out of the room.

"Shit," she said when they were out of earshot of the dining room. "Shit! I was doing so well! And then that damn spider—eight legged demon—fucked it up! Fucking arachnids!"

"Cosima! It's fine!" Delphine reassured. "It is not your fault. It is best that we stay away from the dining room for a while so my parents have some time to calm down. We can go up to my room." She tugged on Cosima's arm again and led her up the stairs and into her bedroom.

After they entered the room, Cosima stood there in shock for a moment, but as soon as the door closed behind them, Delphine burst into laughter.

"What are you laughing at? Your parents are gonna hate me now!"

"Oh, I am sorry!" Delphine said, wiping tears from her eyes. "But it was so funny! I have never seen my mother so scared before! Did you see the look on her face?"

Cosima thought about it for a moment and let out a small chuckle. "I guess it was pretty funny," she admitted. Delphine's laughter was contagious because soon Cosima was on the floor, giggling uncontrollably, trying to catch her breath.

"Oh god," Cosima gasped. "I shouldn't be laughing. I should not be laughing." She was able to slow down her laughter and sit up. Delphine patted the spot on the bed next to her, inviting Cosima to sit down, and Cosima gladly took it.

"I'm sorry," Cosima said eventually.

Delphine smiled. "Don't be. It was not your fault."

Once things calmed down, Cosima was finally able to get a good look at Delphine's room. It was very spacious and very neat. There was a bookshelf that was filled to the brim with both novels and research books, a few of them were out of their place and sitting neatly on her desk. Her desk wasn't cluttered, at all, far different from Cosima's own desk at home. Her laptop sat, closed, on top and the chair was pushed in. There was rug in the middle of the wooden floor. The only other thing in the room was an electric piano in the corner.

"Your room is nice," Cosima said. "How many pianos do you have? Because I'm pretty sure I saw one downstairs."

"Three, I think? Besides this one and the one you saw there is another in the basement. And I think there's an old keyboard in the garage somewhere."

Cosima whistled. "That's a lot. Dylan only has the one violin. Well I guess this is his second one because he broke the first one, but still. Only one that he can use."

"Yes, well, my parents want me to be able to practice wherever I feel comfortable, and pianos are less mobile than violins," Delphine explained. "So there's my room, the rehearsal room, and the basement. I usually practice in the rehearsal room, but I like to play by myself up here, more messing around than anything. It's nice to play just for me, when I don't have my mother breathing down my neck."

"I can imagine," Cosima said. She then turned her head to look at Delphine and asked, "Play me something?"

"What?"

"Come on, just a little something!" Delphine huffed and went to sit on the piano bench. She thought for a moment, then placed her fingers on the keys, playing what Cosima thought was a very familiar tune. "Hey, that's the same thing you played at the recital!"

"So?" Delphine asked as she stopped playing.

"You said you come up here to mess around, play without pressure," Cosima said. "I wanna hear that."

"I don't know what to play!"

Cosima went to sit down next to Delphine on the piano bench. "Just relax," she said. "Don't think about it. Play whatever comes to mind. I'm sure I'll love it."

Delphine sighed and thought for a moment. Cosima gave her a reassuring nudge, then got up and moved to sit on the bed again so that Delphine would feel less pressured. After a while, she closed her eyes and began to play. The chords she played were very slow, and she smoothly transitioned from one to the next as her fingers glided elegantly across the keys. What Cosima paid attention to, though, were Delphine's lips. Not in the I-wanna-make-out-with-you kind of way (although admittedly that too), but Delphine's lips moved as she played, mouthing unspoken words with her music, and Cosima suddenly wished she knew how to read lips.

It wasn't long before Delphine slowly stopped playing. They sat in silence for a moment before Cosima finally spoke up.

"Wow."

Delphine blushed and shook her head.

"That was really good! I'm serious!"

"Thank you, Cosima."

"What were you saying?"

"What?"

"You were mouthing words," Cosima said. "What were you mouthing?"

Delphine blushed even harder. "Oh, I was just—it was—nothing."

"Doesn't sound like nothing." Cosima smiled, hoping to reassure the pianist.

"It's just..." Delphine started, obviously nervous. Cosima nodded, encouraging her to continue. "It's just something that I wrote. I don't know. It's not finished, or good, or anything."

"Well it sounded good to me," Cosima said, and Delphine smiled sheepishly. "I'd love to hear it one day."

"Okay," she said. "One day." Their eyes met and Delphine blushed while Cosima smiled reassuringly.

Just then, a voice called from downstairs. "Delphine!"

The smile on Delphine's face slipped away and Cosima immediately missed it. "We should probably return now," Delphine said. Cosima nodded and followed her downstairs back into the dining room.

The mess had been cleaned up, as were the plates, it looked like the spider situation had been taken care of, and the flowers that Cosima brought were sitting in the trash. Cosima frowned.

"I think it's about time your friend should leave," Delphine's mother said.

Cosima nodded quickly. "Yes, of course," she said. "Thank you so much for having me over."

"It was our pleasure, Cosima," Mr. Cormier said, and his wife shot him a disdainful look.

"I will walk you out," Delphine said quickly.

She tugged lightly on Cosima's arm again, and led her out the front door. They walked slowly to Cosima's truck and stopped on the sidewalk next to it. "Thanks again for inviting me over," Cosima said. "It was an entertaining night to say the least. Sorry for, uh, fucking it up."

"Cosima, it is not your fault!" Delphine protested. "But thank you for coming. I am glad you could make it."

Cosima smiled. This was the part where she would usually lean in and close her eyes and _kiss_ the girl, and she wanted to, so badly. _It's not a date_, Cosima reminded herself. _Just two friends, hanging out. That's it. _When she saw Delphine lean in, her breath caught in her throat. As she got closer, Cosima's eyes fluttered shut. She felt the press of warm lips against her cheek.

_Right_, Cosima thought. _French_.

She quickly opened her eyes before Delphine leaned back and repeated the gesture on her other cheek.

Cosima opened the door to her truck. Before getting in, she asked, "So are we still on for Friday?"

Delphine lips quirked up into a smile. "Of course!" she said. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"Just checking! I'll see you Friday."

"Au revoir, Cosima! I am looking forward to it."

Cosima drove off still feeling the burn of Delphine's lips on her cheek.


	4. Chapter 4

** Author's note:** This chapter is where the M rating comes into play...fair warning. Thanks for reading and for all the feedback! I appreciate it!

* * *

After Cosima drove away, Delphine was left to deal with the aftermath of the incident. She walked back inside to find her parents standing in the dining room, waiting for her. Her mother's arms were crossed over her chest. Her father looked slightly annoyed. She took a seat at the table.

"I do not think you should see this girl anymore, Delphine," her mother said.

"Maman, it was not her fault," Delphine defended. "How could she have known there was a spider on the flowers? She is very, very sorry."

"I do think you're being a little harsh, chèrie," her father said. "Cosima was very nice, and the circumstances were out of her control. I think it is good for Delphine to have a friend."

"A friend will only lead to distractions," her mother argued. "Delphine needs to stay focused on her career."

"Delphine has been focused on her career for years, she's never had any time for friends. We can give her this!"

"Not with the Duncan Showcase coming up! She needs to be practicing for that!"

"She is always practicing and deserves to have some fun every once in a while."

"And piano is not fun for her?"

They argued about Delphine like she wasn't even sitting there. Delphine was tired of her parents treating her like a child, not letting her make her own decisions or have any freedom. Soon she was able to slip away unnoticed and go back up to her bedroom. She collapsed on her bed with a heavy sigh, and just laid there on her back for some time, her eyes closed, taking deep breaths. Eventually she got out of bed and sat in front of her piano. She began to play. It was the same song that she played for Cosima before. It was not very long. She played through it two… three times.

Delphine went over to her desk and pulled a notebook and pen out of the drawer. She went back to the piano and sat down, writing away, occasionally tapping out notes, and scratching out things that she'd written. It wasn't long before she threw the notebook on the ground with a frustrated sigh, turned off the light, and crawled into bed.

Delphine didn't speak to her parents much the next few days. She did what they said to avoid further arguments and answered their questions with as few words as possible. Her anticipation grew as the days passed before she would see Cosima again. Friday drew closer and closer, and Delphine grew increasingly distracted in her studies and her practices.

By the time Friday night came around, Delphine was so anxious she was practically shaking. She sent a quick text message to Cosima.

_I will text you when my parents are asleep_

It wasn't long before her phone buzzed with Cosima's reply.

_Got it. see ya soon :)_

Delphine smiled at her response. She went through her usual routine of getting ready for bed: shower, brush her teeth, etc. However, when she said goodnight to her parents and disappeared into her bedroom, she went straight for her closet. She did not want to feel as underdressed as she did last time, but she also did not own anything close to what Cosima wore last week. Eventually she settled on a tight black skirt, and a gray top that fell off her shoulder.

Soon, Delphine heard the snores coming from her parents' room signaling that her father had fallen asleep, who usually took longer than her mother. She texted Cosima.

No reply came, so she assumed Cosima was on her way. Delphine finished up her make-up, applying the last touches of her red lipstick, when she heard a tapping at her window.

Confused, she looked over to see Cosima balancing on a tree branch, waving at her. Delphine gasped and ran over to the window, opening it.

"Cosima!" she whispered harshly. "What are you doing?"

Cosima practically fell off the branch and into her bedroom and shrugged. "I thought it would be cool."

"How did you even get up there?" Delphine asked. "And in _those_ shoes!"

"Lots of skill in wearing heels," Cosima said. "But also, mostly luck."

"Cosima!"

"Shhhh, don't wanna wake your parents," Cosima scolded jokingly, grabbing her hand and leading her out the door. "Let's go!"

They tip toed downstairs, and Delphine made sure to leave the door unlocked because she didn't have her own house key. The moment they got into Cosima's car, Delphine started giggling uncontrollably.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing! It's just… I've never done this before!" Delphine explained. "It's exciting!"

Cosima laughed at her excitement. "The real fun hasn't even started yet," she said with a smirk, and drove off down the street.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the party, where they could hear the thudding music from a block away. Cosima parked down the street and they headed into the house.

Almost immediately upon their entrance, Cosima was tackle-hugged by someone, almost knocking her off balance.

"There you are!" Felix said. "We were wondering if you'd ever show!"

"Sorry I'm late, but I'm here now," Cosima said. "The party can really start!"

"Do you wanna go get right?" Felix asked, holding up a joint between his fingers.

"Can't tonight, Fee, I'm driving."

It wasn't until then that Felix noticed Delphine's presence and a smirk grew on his face.

"Oh, of course!" he said. "You must be Delphine, it's lovely to meet you! I'm Felix, Cosima's gay friend and wingman."

"And pain in the ass," Cosima added.

"Oh, you love me," Felix said, sticking out his tongue at her. Cosima pushed away his face and laughed at him.

Delphine couldn't help but smile at the interaction between Cosima and her friend.

"So, Sarah's driving tonight?" Cosima asked.

"Oh, god no, she's already shit faced, so try to stay away from her if you can," Felix laughed. "No, she was able to flirt her way into a ride from one of the seniors. I don't remember his name. Cam? Chris? Cal?" He shrugged. "No idea, but that means we can both have fun tonight! Anyway, I'll leave you two… to it, then." He gave Cosima a quick peck on the cheek. "Have fun!" he added with a wink.

Cosima turned back to Delphine. "So that was Felix," she said as they took off their coats and set them down.

Delphine grinned. "He seems interesting," she said. "But in a good way!"

"He is interesting," Cosima laughed. "So… do you want to go dance?"

Delphine shook her head. "I think I will have a drink first."

"Really?" Cosima asked. "You sure?"

"Oui, I am sure," she said confidently. "I have already lied to my parents and snuck out for the first time in my life! If I'm going to have fun tonight, I may as well do it right!"

Cosima laughed. "Alright then, one drink coming right up. Wait right here." Cosima disappeared into the crowd, and Delphine did as she said and waited. It didn't take long for Cosima to return with a plastic cup in her hand filled with frothy liquid. "Here you go."

As Delphine brought the cup up to her lips, she continued. "Just so you know, beer is kind of an—" As the drink entered Delphine's mouth, she made a face at the bitter taste and swallowed harshly. "Acquired taste."

"Thank you for the warning," Delphine teased.

"Hey, I tried! You don't have to have anything to drink if you don't want. I could get you some water."

"No, no! It's not that bad after a while. I can drink this."

And drink it she did. Delphine finished her cup very quickly and had Cosima get her a refill. She was halfway through her second cup when she started to notice the effects. She felt lighter, as if the restraints that always held her back were cut loose and she could do whatever she wanted, and she felt flushed, especially when she noticed the close proximity in which Cosima was standing.

Delphine finished the rest of her drink quickly and dropped her cup to the ground. She leaned into Cosima to say, "Let's dance, shall we?"

Cosima nodded her head vigorously, and Delphine grabbed both of her hands, lacing their fingers together, and tugged Cosima in the direction of the dancing.

They began dancing face to face. Relaxed and uninhibited, Delphine let her hips sway to the music and let her hands roam free in the air. Cosima let her eyes trail down Delphine's body, watching her move, and when their eyes met she didn't even try to hide her hungry gaze.

"You know, you've gotten much better at that!" Cosima shouted over the music.

"Well, I have a very good teacher!" Delphine shouted back.

Cosima spun around so her back was facing Delphine and continued to dance. Cosima's hands were in the air and her hips swayed so sensually; Delphine was drawn to her like a magnet. Her hands found their place on Cosima's hips again, and she pressed against Cosima's back. Delphine sighed at the flush contact of their bodies and continued to move with the music and with Cosima as their bodies grew more heated with every movement.

Cosima's hands found their way to Delphine's neck, and into her hair, pulling her closer, if that was even possible. Their bodies were pressed so tightly together, swaying together. Delphine's hands began to roam freely, first moving up and down Cosima's sides. Delphine felt the smaller girl sigh at the movement, so she continued. She slid her hands across the flat of Cosima's stomach and felt the hands in her hair grip tighter.

Delphine's breathing grew heavier and more rapid. A fire was lit inside of her that burned deeper and fiercer than anything she had ever felt. Maybe it was the thrill of breaking the rules for the first time in her life, or maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was the heat of being so close to Cosima. It was probably all three. But Delphine felt so alive and so free for the first time and with every moment the fire grew stronger, brighter. Everywhere her skin touched Cosima's burned. But with Cosima's hands in her hair and her ass right _there_, hips moving in time with Delphine's, it just felt so _damn_ good.

And it wasn't enough. Delphine needed more, and she needed more _now_.

Delphine quickly spun Cosima around, and she could see a question forming, but she simply placed a hand on the back of her neck and pulled her up to her mouth, kissing the question right off her lips. Cosima reacted quickly, grabbing fistfuls of Delphine's shirt and pulling her closer, kissing back so fiercely, so passionately, Delphine had the breath knocked out of her. She pulled away for a moment, just long enough to suck air back into her lungs, before hungrily reclaiming Cosima's lips.

Delphine let her lips fall open, allowing Cosima to map out her mouth with her tongue. She shivered as Cosima's tongue slid against her own, and as their teeth clicked together. Cosima took Delphine's bottom lip between her teeth and gave a soft tug, and Delphine couldn't hold back the moan that escaped from the back of her throat. Cosima greedily kissed away the sound into her own mouth, smirking, and slid a thigh between Delphine's legs.

Delphine didn't know what to do with her hands. She wanted them on Cosima's neck and in her hair and on her back and on her shoulder and around her waist; she wanted her hands everywhere but she didn't have enough hands. Cosima was more decisive. Her hands slipped down Delphine's waist and around, gripping her ass and pulling her hips closer. Delphine gasped into Cosima's mouth.

"Cosima," she whispered. But the sound was drowned out by the music and Cosima kissed her again and she really needed to stop doing that or Delphine was going to do some very inappropriate things right on the dance floor.

"Cosima!" she said, a little louder this time. Cosima heard and tilted her head, eyes asking the question for her. "We need to get out of here," she said urgently. "Away from everyone."

Thankfully, Cosima understood her and grabbed her hand, leading her toward the front door, quickly grabbing their coats on the way.

They passed by Sarah on the way out, who tried to stop them. "Oi! Leaving so soon? What the hell, Cos?"

"Not _now_, Sarah," Cosima growled. Sarah may have been totally shit faced, but she noticed their flushed cheeks and swollen lips and smudged lipstick.

"Oh!" she said, smirking. "Well, have fun then!" She stepped out of the way and wolf-whistled as they went out the front door.

Once they were outside, Delphine all but jumped her, forcefully pressing their lips together again, letting her hands roam. Cosima kissed back, but pulled away quickly.

"Mmmm, car," was all she said. Delphine nodded furiously.

They practically ran back to Cosima's truck. Cosima climbed in first, crawling into the small backseat. Delphine followed, closing the door behind her. As soon as Delphine was close enough, Cosima pushed her down on the seat and straddled her hips. Her lips and tongue traced hot, wet kisses onto Delphine's neck, and Delphine gasped, running her hands along Cosima's arms, keeping as much skin contact as possible. She felt for more skin, but Cosima was in a dress so she couldn't just easily slip it off like a shirt. Her legs were covered in tights, so Delphine reached under Cosima's dress to pull down the offending material. Cosima removed her lips from Delphine's neck to sit up and slide the tights down her legs, kicking them off her feet along with her shoes.

Delphine placed her hands on Cosima's thighs, running her fingers along the hot skin. She sat up, back pressed against the side of the car and the window, and something was digging into her back but she didn't care. Delphine pulled Cosima closer and Cosima kissed her lips again, sloppy and heated. Her hands made their way under Delphine's shirt, searching for more skin, tracing the muscles of her stomach. Delphine squirmed at Cosima's touches. The shirt was lifted from her head, and her bra quickly followed.

Cosima took her breasts in each hand, and Delphine groaned, arching her back into the touch. Cosima's mouth made its way down Delphine's chest, sucking at her neck again, nipping at her collarbone, licking down to her breasts. Delphine grabbed the back of Cosima's neck and pulled her down, relishing in the feeling of soft lips and tongue on her breast and teeth lightly scraping her nipple. She wanted to scream.

Cosima's hand left Delphine's other breast and moved down her sides until it was on her hip. She lifted her head to hike up Delphine's skirt and pull down her underwear. Cosima did not touch her yet. She traced the tips of her fingers experimentally and slowly along the insides of Delphine's thighs and her lower stomach, getting close, but not where Delphine needed her the most.

"Cosima, please," Delphine moaned.

Cosima let her fingers run through wet heat at the same time her lips claimed Delphine's again, swallowing the moan she released at the touch. Delphine's hips lifted from the seat into Cosima's touch, and Cosima moved her fingers nimbly and quickly, eliciting delicious whimpers and sighs and moans from Delphine. Delphine thrust hard into Cosima's hand, seeking more friction, and Cosima's fingers rubbed at her sensitive clit. Delphine felt the fire burning more intensely than she could possibly imagine, spreading to every nerve in her body from the tips of her fingers to hairs on the back of her neck and down to her curling toes. It wasn't long before Delphine cried out, Cosima's name on her lips, trembling, and gripping at Cosima's dress.

Suddenly the car was silent, occupied only by the sound of their labored breathing. Cosima let Delphine catch her breath before removing her hand and kissing her softly.

"Wow," Delphine gasped.

"You okay?" Cosima asked.

"Yes," Delphine reassured. "I'm great."

"Good." Cosima chuckled softly. "That's… not what I expected to happen tonight. Not that I'm complaining."

"Hmm, me too." Delphine breathed for a few seconds. She placed a hand on Cosima's cheek and kissed her lightly. "Back of the car?" she asked when they broke apart.

Cosima shrugged. "You work with what you've got."

"You are the craziest person I've ever met." Delphine smiled.

"In like, a not bad way?" Cosima asked.

Delphine just giggled and kissed her again, committing Cosima's taste to her memory.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note:** Thank you so much for reading and for your feedback and for being patient! I'm working on so many things right now, but I'm trying to keep everything with regular updates. Enjoy!

* * *

Cosima managed to get Delphine home pretty early. At least, by her standards it was early. She pulled up down the street from her house a little after 1 in the morning and killed the engine.

"Would you like to come inside?" Delphine asked.

"I dunno," Cosima said. "If I go in it'll be _very_ hard to get myself to leave eventually, and if your parents found me here in the morning they'd probably hate me even more."

"You're right," Delphine replied, "it's probably best if you don't."

"Mhm," Cosima breathed. Delphine unbuckled and moved to get out of the car, but Cosima grabbed her hand to stop her. "Not so fast." She leaned toward Delphine's seat and captured her lips in a searing kiss.

Delphine pulled back quickly, face flushed. "Cosima, you can't do that or I might just stay in here all night. I have to go!"

Cosima whined in protest and pouted. Delphine leaned in again to press a brief kiss to her lips, which seemed to lift Cosima's spirits a little. "Fine," Cosima sighed.

"I will see you soon," Delphine called as she jumped out of the car and shut the door behind her.

Cosima grinned while watching Delphine walk up the driveway back to her front door. Before Delphine went inside, she blew a kiss and waved. Cosima blushed. Shit, she was lucky.

It wasn't until Cosima arrived back at her own home that she started to think about the possible repercussions of her actions. She took a shower and crawled into bed. Delphine had had a few drinks and she had come on a little strong dancing with her. She didn't want Delphine to think she was trying to take advantage of her. But, then again, Delphine was the one who had kissed her, and she was sober enough to consent. But was it possible that she had just ruined this budding friendship with the French girl?

Cosima groaned into her pillow. "Did I just make a huge mistake?"

She waited until the next day to call Delphine. Her heart thumped as the phone rang, and didn't breathe until after she heard the soft, "Allô," when Delphine answered.

"Hey, it's me," Cosima said. "I just wanted to check in, after last night. Are you okay?"

"Bien sur. Why wouldn't I be?" Delphine asked.

"Well, it's just," Cosima hesitated and thought about how to phrase this. "Things with us happened kind of quickly, and you were a little drunk. I just wanted to make sure we're okay. I mean, as far as I know, you're not gay, so…" She trailed off, unsure of how to continue, and cringed at her own words.

"Cosima, we are fine," Delphine said. "I mean, I had never thought about bisexuality for myself. Honestly, I haven't had much time to think about any romantic relationships in my life at all. My parents have kept me so busy. But with you it does feel right… if that makes sense. I like you, Cosima. And I don't regret anything we did last night."

Cosima let out a sigh of relief. "Good. That's good. I just… wanted to make sure. I like you too, and I don't wanna do something stupid, because I always end up doing something stupid."

Delphine giggled. "Cosima, it's fine."

Cosima grinned and her face flushed. "Okay. Awesome. Well, uhh, in that case, I was wondering, do you like soccer?"

"Soccer?"

"Well, I guess everywhere else it's football but here it's soccer. Anyway, my friend Alison has a soccer game on Tuesday after school, so I was wondering if you wanted to come watch and meet my friends? Just so you know, they're not all burnouts, that's just Sarah and Felix."

"I would love to," Delphine said.

"Really? Are your parents gonna be okay with it?"

"I'm sure they won't mind. Pick me up at 3?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Well," Delphine started, "I have to go now, but I am glad you called. I will see you Tuesday. Adieu, Cosima."

"Bye," Cosima breathed, before Delphine hung up. She let out another sigh of relief and fell back on her bed. Delphine liked her, and she was going to see her again on Tuesday.

Delphine was so happy that Cosima liked her, and that she liked spending time with her. Cosima sent her good morning and goodnight texts each day, and they conversed back and forth in between. Thoughts of the other girl ran through her mind whenever she was practicing or working on schoolwork the next few days, and a giddy smile would take over her face. Her mom never noticed. She only noticed when Delphine's thoughts of Cosima caused her to hit the wrong keys or lose the tempo in the middle of the song.

"Delphine, what has you so distracted?" her mother asked during practice Monday afternoon.

Delphine shook her head, not wanting to admit to her what was going on. "Nothing, I am fine," she said, and went right back to playing before her mother could interrogate her further.

Delphine tried to think of a way to ask her parents if she could spend Tuesday afternoon with Cosima, but realized that it would be harder for them to say no if Cosima was already there and she was leaving. So she waited for a text message from Cosima saying that she was on her way to leave her practice and change her clothes. She figured, since it was a sports game she should dress more casual, so Delphine settled on a pair of denim shorts and a tank top, since it was a warm day out.

Cosima texted her again saying she had arrived and didn't want to come inside, so Delphine made her way to the front door.

"Delphine, where are you going?" her father asked as she gripped the doorknob.

"I am going out with Cosima and her friends," Delphine explained, smiling. She was glad her father caught her rather than her mother because he was always less strict about these things.

He nodded. "Very well," he said. "Don't be out too late. I'll cover with your mom."

Delphine bounded over and threw her arms around him, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "Merci père!" she said, and headed out the front door.

Cosima was waiting in her old red truck that Delphine grew more and more fond of each time she saw it. She thought back to Friday night and what transpired the last time she found herself in that truck, and couldn't keep the blush from creeping onto her face, nor the heat from building in her stomach.

When Cosima saw Delphine coming, she jumped out of the car and went around to open the passenger door for her. "Bonsoir, Cosima," Delphine said as she crawled into the seat and buckled her seatbelt.

Before closing the door, Cosima stood on her tip toes to give Delphine a quick kiss. "Hi."

Delphine fought off her blush as Cosima closed her door and walked around to get back in the driver's seat of the car. When Cosima was next to her again, Delphine still had the biggest grin on her face. Then, Cosima grabbed her hand while still keeping one on the steering wheel. She held Delphine's hand lightly, rubbing her knuckles with her thumb and Delphine felt the heat creeping back into her cheeks. Her smile never faltered the entire drive to Cosima's school.

Cosima pulled into the parking lot and jumped out of the car quickly to open Delphine's door for her again. When they both had their feet on the ground, Cosima hesitated. She wasn't sure how much physical affection Delphine would be comfortable with in public. Could she hold her hand? Could she put an arm around her? Could she kiss her? She wasn't sure.

Delphine seemed to sense her nerves and easily slipped her hand into Cosima's, intertwining their fingers and giving a quick squeeze. Cosima smiled and they took off walking, grasped hands swinging between their bodies.

"You ready?" Cosima asked.

"Oui," Delphine nodded. "I am very excited to meet your friends!"

"I should warn you, we get really into Alison's soccer games." Delphine gave her a questioning look. "We're very enthusiastic. You'll see." Delphine nodded and followed the gentle tug of Cosima's hand to the field.

Cosima scanned the bleachers for her friends, who should be saving them seats. After a moment, she found Scott and his arm waving wildly to catch her attention. She waved back and led Delphine into the crowd toward her friends.

They found their seats next to Scott, Felix and Sarah, and Cosima started with introductions. "Delphine, this is Scott," she said.

Delphine reached out to shake his hand, and Scott struggled to find words, mouth gaping. Obviously he didn't believe Cosima when she talked about how _gorgeous_ this French girl was. Cosima rolled her eyes. "Use your words, Scotty."

He mumbled out a quick, "Hi," before retracting his hand and looking away.

Delphine frowned at Cosima, and Cosima just shrugged as if to say, _he does this a lot_. "And you remember Sarah and Felix, maybe."

"I don't blame you if you don't," Felix said. "You two were _very_ busy the night we met, if I do recall." He winked at them, and Delphine blushed furiously. Sarah burst out laughing.

"Just ignore them," Cosima said, shoving Felix in the shoulder.

"Hey, don't take it personally, Frenchie," Sarah said. "We always tease each other's new fuck buddies!"

"Sarah!" Cosima groaned. "Don't do that! She's not a fuck buddy and she doesn't know you're kidding!"

"Ok, ok, sorry!" Sarah put her hands up in mocking innocence. "God, Cos, who put a stick up your arse? You must really like her!"

At this, Cosima turned beet red, and Felix and Sarah laughed more.

"Sorry about them," Scott said to Delphine while Cosima struggled to tone down her blush and put words in her mouth. "As always, I'm the only normal one around here. Which is definitely saying something."

Delphine smiled at him. "Thanks Scott," Cosima said. "You're a breath of fresh air, trust me. But let's not forget about Alison!"

"Alison? Normal?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, forget I said that."

"It is good to meet you, Scott," Delphine said. "Cosima speaks very highly of you."

"She does?" Scott asked, baffled. "That's… surprising."

"Delphine!" Cosima said, pretending to be angry. "That was supposed to be a secret!"

"Well, if you were nicer to your friends…" Delphine giggled, and Cosima pushed her shoulder lightly with a playful glare on her face.

"So," Cosima said. "That's it for now. You'll meet Alison after the game, so let's hope they win and she's in a good mood!" Sarah, Felix, and Scott laughed. "Do you want anything to snack on, Delphine? I could get us some popcorn? A drink?"

"Popcorn sounds good," Delphine said. "And maybe a diet coke?"

"Your wish is my command," Cosima said. She gave Delphine a quick peck on the cheek before leaving her in the bleachers with her friends to go to the snack bar.

"Man, she's whipped." Delphine turned her head to find Felix and Sarah giggling to each other and Scott rolling his eyes.

"Whipped?" Delphine asked, confused by the English slang.

"It means she'll do whatever you ask," Felix explained. "Waiting on your hand and foot. Kinda like a slave."

Delphine scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion. "I do not think of Cosima as a slave."

"It's an expression, Frenchie," Sarah said. "A joke. We know she's not actually your slave." Delphine nodded, still confused.

"So, Delphine, you play piano?" Scott asked. "I do too!"

Delphine nodded and was about to reply before Sarah butted in. "Not the same thing, Scotty boy. Delphine's, like, a prodigy, yeah? Very different from teaching yourself to play that song from Harry Potter."

"Sarah I've been playing piano for five years," Scott replied, unamused. He turned back to Delphine. "I know I'm probably, like, nowhere near as good as you, but I do actually play."

Delphine smiled at him and nodded her head. "I believe you, Scott! We should play together sometime, it could be fun."

Scott blushed and opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. Instead, he just nodded with a bashful grin on his face.

Just then, Cosima reappeared with a box of popcorn and a soda. She plopped down on her seat between Scott and Delphine. "Oh, look, you didn't kill each other while I was gone," she said, mostly to Scott, Sarah and Felix. Then she turned to Delphine and said, "I hope they're not making you too uncomfortable."

"Oh, not at all," Delphine said. "Scott was just telling me that he plays piano!"

"You do?" Cosima asked, curious. "You never told me that." Scott just shrugged, offering no further comment. Cosima raised an eyebrow, but turned back to Delphine, shoving a few pieces of popcorn in her mouth.

Delphine reached out to grab a few pieces of popcorn for herself. "Are you not thirsty? You only got one drink."

"Oh, uhh…." Cosima turned bright red and stuttered over her words. "Well, I, uhh…I thought maybe we could share? If not I can totally go back and get myself something else, for all I know you could be, like, a total germaphobe or something and not like sharing drinks with people so I probably shouldn't have assumed—"

"Cosima," Delphine giggled. "You're rambling again."

Cosima groaned. "Uhhhh, sorry."

"Don't be," Delphine said. "It's cute." Cosima opened her mouth to reply, but the words got caught in her throat and she was left smiling stupidly at Delphine. "And it's fine if we share," Delphine finished, and for good measure, she leaned closer to Cosima and took a sip from the straw of the drink still in her hands.

Cosima cleared her throat and finally found her voice. "Okay, cool." She handed the box of popcorn to Delphine so she could hold it, then took a sip of diet coke. She put her free arm that wasn't holding a drink over Delphine's shoulder, and Delphine leaned into her. They sat like that waiting for the game to start, munching on popcorn and sharing their drink.

Neither of them noticed the giggling and fake vomiting coming from Sarah and Felix across the bench.

After a while the game started, and Delphine learned what Cosima meant when she said they were very enthusiastic at Alison's soccer games. Less than a minute after the match began, Cosima's arm had been removed from Delphine's shoulder, and she was on her feet with her friends. They all yelled, both encouragement at their own team, and insults at the opponents.

Their enthusiasm, though, was contagious. It wasn't long before Delphine found herself out of her seat as well, yelling in French at the players, or at the referee after a bad call.

After the first time Delphine shouted in her native tongue, Cosima turned to her and said, "I like it when you do that. It's kinda hot." She grinned, tongue poking out between her teeth, and Delphine's face flushed. Delphine didn't speak in English for the rest of the game.

An hour and a half later, their school won the game, 1-0, and Alison was sweaty and excited when she greeted her friends.

"You kicked _ass_ out there, Alison!" Cosima said, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl for a hug.

"Yeah, literally," Sarah added. "How 'bout that yellow card, huh?"

"That was not my fault," Alison defended.

"Sure it wasn't."

"Alison, this is Delphine, my…" Cosima dragged Delphine over to introduce her, but hesitated, unsure of what to call her. They hadn't really talked about that. Cosima wanted to say girlfriend, but she wasn't sure if Delphine would be comfortable with that just yet. "Uhh, this is Delphine. Delphine, this is Alison."

"Congratulations on your game!" Delphine said, holding out her hand to shake Alison's. "You played marvelously!"

"Thank you, Delphine," Alison said, shaking her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope these two haven't been giving you too much trouble." She glared pointedly at Felix and Sarah.

"I have gotten used to it," Delphine replied with a small chuckle. At first, Sarah and Felix's teasing was a little off-putting, but Cosima explained that it was just how they showed affection and Delphine was able to ease into the group a little more comfortably.

"That's good. They're a handful, but they mean well. Usually."

"Well," Cosima interjected, "now that you two have met we should probably get going. I don't want to keep her out too late."

"Sure you don't," Sarah called after her suggestively, raising an eyebrow. Cosima stuck up her middle finger at Sarah, but took Delphine's hand to lead her away from the group.

"Bye guys!" Cosima called, waving over her shoulder. "See ya tomorrow!"

Delphine waved too. "Au revoir! It was lovely meeting you, Alison and Scott." When they got back to her car, Delphine asked, "Why did we have to leave so soon? I like your friends."

"Because," Cosima started. "I wanted to take you out to dinner before I bring you home."

"Oh!" Delphine looked down at her own outfit self-consciously, tried to flatten her hair, and realized she was sweating a little from her afternoon in the sun.

Cosima shook her head. "Don't worry about it, it's nothing fancy," Cosima reassured. "It's just this little diner nearby. They serve burgers and stuff. I'm pretty sure I've been there in my pajamas before." Delphine giggled while Cosima swiped a few blonde curls out of her face. "Besides. I think you look great." She kissed Delphine quickly before opening the car door for her.

Cosima and Delphine arrived at the diner in a few minutes and ordered their burgers. They also split an order of fries and a milkshake while they waited for their burgers to be ready. They munched in a comfortable silence for a while, but Cosima had a pressing question that she couldn't keep to herself anymore.

"Hey, Delphine?" Cosima asked, a little timidly. Delphine met her eyes. She couldn't reply because she had just stuffed a few fries into her mouth, but her nod encouraged Cosima to continue. "Umm, what exactly are we? Or…what can I call you? I know we're friends and stuff, but we also hold hands and kiss and, like, I wanna call you my girlfriend but I dunno if that's ok with you or if you just wanna be friends for now, or—"

"Cosima."

"I'm doing it again, aren't I?" Cosima shook her head and looked down, embarrassed. "Sorry, sorry."

"Cosima, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" Delphine asked.

Cosima looked up to meet Delphine's eyes again, a sheepish grin on her face, and shrugged. "I guess I am."

Delphine reached across the table and grabbed one of Cosima's hands. "I would love to be your girlfriend," she said, corners of her lips turning up into a small smile.

"Really?"

"Of course."

Just then, their burgers arrived. They ate with giddy smiles and easy conversation. At some point, Cosima's foot bumped into Delphine's under the table. Delphine thought it was an accident, until Cosima moved her foot to wrap her ankle against Delphine's leg, sliding her foot slowly up and down Delphine's calf. Delphine's breath caught in her throat, and this didn't go unnoticed by Cosima. She smirked as she took another bite of her burger.

Eventually they finished their meal and it was time for Cosima to take Delphine back home. When she pulled up in front of Delphine's house, Cosima fidgeted nervously in her seat, a question forming on her lips.

"Hey, would you maybe want to spend the night at my place this weekend?" Cosima blurted out.

"What?"

"Well," Cosima said, "my parents are gonna be out of town. They're taking Dylan to some recital in LA or something, I dunno. But I thought that maybe you could come over? I promise it'll be fun!"

Delphine was thinking for a minute. Did she want to spend the night with Cosima? _Of course_. It could give them the chance to spend some time together, alone and uninterrupted. She could explore Cosima's body somewhere other than the back of her car in the middle of the night. Of course she wanted to spend the night with Cosima. The real question was, would her parents let her?

Cosima seemed to get the wrong idea from Delphine's hesitation. "If you don't want to, that's totally cool. I just figured I'd ask…"

"Oh, no!" Delphine exclaimed. "No, no, yes I want to come over. Of course I do. I was just thinking that, I'm not so sure if my parents will let me. I've never spent the night at someone's house before."

"Oh, right, of course," Cosima nodded. "Parents, I get it. If you can't come, I totally understand. Or you could come and just not stay the night?"

"I will see what I can do," Delphine said. Cosima nodded, and Delphine could tell that she was a little disappointed, so she quickly closed the space between them and kissed her. Cosima's lips parted in surprise and Delphine used this opportunity to slide her tongue into Cosima's mouth. Cosima let out a moan, muffled by Delphine's lips, and kissed her back.

Soon, Delphine pulled back, but kept her forehead resting against Cosima's. "I had fun today," she muttered against Cosima's lips.

"Mmm, me too," Cosima said as she captured Delphine's lips again for a brief kiss. "Thanks for coming."

Delphine nodded and extracted herself from her seatbelt. She jumped out of the car and turned to Cosima. "I will call you tomorrow?"

"I'll be waiting," Cosima replied.

Delphine waved goodbye and closed the door. Cosima watched her walk up to her house, and even a few minutes after she had disappeared inside, Cosima was still sitting in her car parked at the curb with a dazed grin on her face.


End file.
